


Love Me Again

by Chillipee



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: AU with Canon undertones, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Swearing, Pregnancy, Reconciliation, Romance, Sex, mentions of other pairings, some minor angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-10-19 03:07:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20650193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chillipee/pseuds/Chillipee
Summary: Theirs had always been a complicated mess of I love you I could kill you type moments...





	1. He is a dick

**Author's Note:**

> I really love this pairing so wanted to write something for it. The story focuses mainly on the two characters with brief mentions of other characters/relationships. I use the term 'AU' loosely simply because the characters are in their twenties and the battle between Boruto and Kawaki never happened.
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> And the title was inspired by Love Me Again by SF9

**-BS-**

He was a dick.

There she said and she’d probably say it again the next time she laid eyes on him. That’s if she could ever get her beautiful baby up this darn forsaken mountain! Of all the places her husband, soon to be ex-husband, could run off too he chose the damn boondocks? And not even the visitor friendly kind.

She had a hard enough time easing the sleek car up the slopping road without losing control and crashing to her untimely demise.

_Damn him._ She muttered furiously, angrily. The only thing propelling her forward the thick envelope on the passenger seat containing her freedom.

She’d finally be free of him!

However, the thought didn’t give her as much satisfaction as it should have. Theirs had always been a complicated mess of I love you I could kill you type moments and finally a year ago the latter had finally won.

She just couldn’t do it anymore. It was too much. They were too much.

Finally, she saw the roof of what looked to be a cabin up ahead. _Thank you, god! _She thought grimly as she steered the Mustang into a clearing next to a beaten up truck.

Once she parked, she took a moment to gather herself. Checked her makeup and fixed her hair, it was a frizzy mess thanks to the humidity. But it would do.

She gave herself another pep talk in the lines of how strong she was and how she didn’t need a man to define her and how this was the best solution for the both of them, then she grabbed the envelope opened the door and stepped out.

Her six inch heels immediately sank into the damp ground and she hissed in annoyance.

Dressed impeccably in a pencil skirt that skimmed just above her knees and a loose-fitting sheer blouse, she looked completely out of place in this wilderness.

_Couldn’t he have picked someplace with good paving or something?_ She mused to herself as she surveyed the surroundings with an unpleasant expression on her face.

Reminding herself of her visit and not liking the look of the clouds above, she decided to hasten things. She did not want to be driving down that slope should a storm come.

Envelope in hand she marched up the short stairs of the porch and towards the door.

There was no bell, so she knocked and waited.

After a moment she heard no sounds so she knocked again, louder this time, but still, no one answered.

Gritting her teeth she raised her fist to start pounding the door when a loud thud behind her froze her in place.

There was a curse and then, “Sarada?”

Sarada Uchiha turned, a glued smile to her face and regarded her husband. “Hello, Boruto,” she greeted airily.

He glared at her and she took that moment to take him in. His hair was a bit longer, he was in need of a shave but mostly he looked pretty good for someone who was supposed to be drinking their sorrows away. Damned good in fact.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded heatedly, and then he turned and pointed at the Mustang. “More importantly did you seriously drive up in my car on that damned slope?!”

_Of course, he’d react like this._ Sometimes she swore he cared more about the car than he’d ever cared about her. Maybe if he had they wouldn’t be here and she wouldn’t be holding their divorce papers.

“At least we both agree about that slope,” she commented. “And last I checked it’s pretty much my car now.”

He ground his teeth, shoving his hands inside the pockets of his worn jeans. “What do you want?” he asked coldly.

She hadn’t expected this to be a pleasant or even amicable visit, but his blatant hostility got to her, so she decided she’d make things difficult for him.

Boruto Uzumaki was a dick.

But she could be a bitch when she wanted to be.


	2. The cold Uchiha Princess

**-BS-**

Boruto’s days on the mountainside were a pleasant, steady stream of tranquillity and serenity. Something he hadn’t been able to experience in a very long time. Between his taxing, although rewarding job, and his nightmare of a marriage he’d become an angry, perpetually tensed person.

It hadn’t been good for him. Or those around him.

So when he and Sarada finally decided to separate after a long, emotionally and physically draining year, he’d taken a leave of absence and set off to the cabin.

The cabin had once been his grandfather’s and had served as a great escape for the Uzumaki males thereafter.

Boruto even had a few fond memories of coming up here with his father as a kid. At least when the older Uzumaki could tear himself away from his first love and commitment – his job.

The place was perfect for him. Due to the thick plantation and clear streams around the place, he had food at his disposal.

He only ever ventured down to the small town for key items like toiletries, supplies and the like.

For the most part, he simply revelled in his newfound heaven and tried desperately to erase the niggling thoughts of his estranged wife.

But life had a hit on him, because why else would his perfectly good afternoon be ruined in such an unexpected manner?

He dropped his haul of firewood on the ground and swore under his breath. “Sarada?”

She whirled around, fist still poised to knock on the door. She eyed him all of two seconds before her lips curled into a forced smile. “Hello, Boruto,” she greeted.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, coldly, before turning to gesture at the gleaming car parked precariously by the truck. “More importantly did you seriously drive up in my car on that damned slope?!”

Even he had trouble navigating up that slope, what had she been thinking? She could’ve easily driven over a cliff and crashed to her death!

She gave him an icy smirk.

The Uchihas had long since perfected the art of cold heartedness and his wife, true to her prodigy nature had mastered the art with flying colours.

“At least we both agree about that slope,” she commented. “And last I checked it’s pretty much my car now.”

_As if he could ever forget._ Boruto thought grinding his teeth as he shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. “What do you want?” he asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest and he noticed a brown envelope clasped in her left hand. The one that should have had her ring, but didn’t.

His scowl deepened.

“Since you don’t answer your phone or bother to respond to emails I figured I’d venture out to see you,” she replied coolly.

“Reception is shit,” he said unapologetically. “And I found your lawyer’s voice annoying as fuck.”

She pressed her lips in a thin line. A clear sign her patience was waning.

_Good._

He much preferred the unreserved Sarada over the prissy cold bitch that left his nerves on edge.

“You seriously want to do this outside?” she questioned.

He had absolutely no problem with that, however, manners and good upbringing called him to do the opposite.

Still bristling he stalked up the porch steps.

She immediately moved away from the door as if the very idea of having any physical contact with him disgusted him.

He turned the handle and pushed the door open. “Right after you, Princess,” he said with fake politeness.

Before he’d used the term to tease her, but now it was hurled like an insult.

Her eyes narrowed but she marched passed him, her head held high.

The cabin was mostly an open space domain with a short hallway that led to a bathroom and a large bedroom with an ensuite.

While Sarada glanced around the modestly decorated room, he walked over to the kitchenette area and rinsed his hands.

He’d been out cutting wood earlier with the oncoming storm in mind.

When he turned to regard her she was standing rather stiffly in the middle of the room, the brown envelope clutched like a lifeline.

“Water or tea?”

“Huh?”

He exhaled sharply. “Do you want water or tea?” he asked. He might have been pissed at her visit, but he still had some manners.

However, she shook her head, her fingers curling a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t plan on staying long,” she revealed. “I need you to sign this.”

For a moment he debated whether or not to accept the offered envelope. After another long pause he sauntered up to her and took it, rather roughly but she said nothing.

Boruto wasn’t an idiot, he already knew the contents inside but still, a part of him, a small hesitant and hopeful part, wished to be proven wrong.

He took out the document and at a glance had that fleeting hope dashed.

“I indicated the places where you need to sign,” she informed him.

“I’m not stupid, I know how to read,” he bit out. “Besides, I need to have this looked over.”

“Are you serious?” she demanded, incredulous.

“What, you don’t think I have the right to?”

Sarada huffed, glancing away.

Boruto tore his eyes away and stared at the file. _Why was he stalling?_ He’d already come to terms with their separation.

He himself and come to a realisation – he still loved Sarada, but he no longer liked her as a person. And that was fine.

Still, he wavered.

A loud crack of thunder tore through the sky outside.  
Sarada shrieked, clutching his arm, eyes wide behind her glasses. “What was that?!”

Bemused he replied, “Nature’s call.”

“Lightning kills people...I don’t want to die,” she said.

In her fright, she seemed completely oblivious that she was not only clutching his arm, but had moved closer to his side.

She smelled like black orchids and the honeysuckle shampoo she liked to use. Sarada smelled like all the things he used to like and his never ending regret. It unsettled him, put him on edge.

So he shrugged her off, she seemed surprised that she’d been holding onto him but didn’t say anything and merely moved back.

_Good_. At least like this he could think more clearly.

However, his relief was short lived just as suddenly as the lightning had struck a loud hissing sound filled their ears as thick droplets came gushing down from the sky outside.

“No...No...No!” Sarada cried as she ran up to the window to stare outside. “What is this weather doing?”

“There was a forecast about an oncoming storm,” he stated flatly.

She just glared at him as if it was somehow all his fault. “It can’t be helped,” she said. “I have to go.”

Boruto’s eyes widened. “What?”

“It will only get worse from here,” she said.

_Was she crazy? No rational human being would venture out in this storm, let alone down that trial!_

“Are you going to sign those?” she asked pointing at the papers in his hand.

“Like I said earlier I still need to go over them.”

She nodded before hurrying to the front door. “Fine,” she said exasperated. “I don’t care. Post them, FedEx them – hell throw them down the cliff for all I care, just make sure they’re signed!”

Then the irrational woman swung the door open.

It took him three strides to reach her and slam the door shut in her face.

She whirled around, eyes flashing with fire.

“You seriously think I’m going to let you drive down in this downpour?” he demanded.

/

Sarada paused, her eyes wide as her heart fluttered inside her chest.

“It has insurance, but that is a fucking vintage car!” Boruto continued hotly. “I’m not letting you ruin what little happiness I have left.”

So it was about the car. _The fucking car_! “Oh just go kick rocks, Boruto!” she snapped before she once again went for the handle.

He had his hand pressed against it so even when she tugged nothing happened. “I swear Sarada don’t test me on this.” He threatened.

He was right in her face, his body pressed dangerously close to her in his attempt to block her escape.

Ignoring her racing heart, Sarada glared up defiantly at him. “Or what?” She challenged. “You going to drag me kicking and screaming and keep me locked up in this cabin?”

Seeing an opening, Sarada used the ninjutsu that had been passed down her family for generations.

Boruto never saw it coming.

Keeling over and clutching his stomach he cursed out clearly in pain.

Sarada didn’t wait for him to recover and pulled the door open before she sped out.

Boruto had been right, this wasn’t rain it was an all out downpour! But Sarada reckoned her chances of driving down that slope were in her favour.

Her hands clutching her keys, she ignored the pouring rain and cursed her heels for slowing her down.

If they weren’t so expansive she’d kick them off.

She reached the car and was just about to open the door when she felt arms clamp around her waist.

She shouted out, but it was useless. Easily, Boruto swung her over his shoulder and began marching back to the open front door.

Her attempts at kicking and screaming were useless.

Inside, he dumped her unceremoniously on the couch before he retraced his steps to slam the door shut.

They were both panting, dripping from the downpour and one of her shoes was missing.

“I lost my shoe, you jerk!” she snapped.

“You’re the one that decided to be difficult.” He said not the least bit apologetic.

“What am I supposed to do?” she demanded. “Spend the night?!”

“Or you could walk down the hill,” Boruto suggested with a shrug.

_As if she could do that! Even without the rain that would be a fool’s errand._

“W-w-what are you doing?!” she stammered, shrinking into the couch.

He paused, having taken off his boots. “I’m taking off my wet clothes,” he replied as if it was obvious. “I don’t want to catch hypothermia.”

“Can’t you do that somewhere else?” she demanded, her voice climbing in octaves.

“You’re the one trespassing.” He pointed out.

“Not by choice!” she retorted sharply.

“What...it’s not anything you haven’t seen before,” he said and proceeded to remove his shirt.

“Don’t you have any common decency?” she snarled.

He stood before her bare-chested, his abs toned and defined. The light golden happy trail slick with moisture as it disappeared beneath his pants.

“I do, but you don’t deserve it,” he said.

Muttering obscenities under her breath she tore her gaze away from him.

It was quiet and she heard his footsteps disappearing down the small hallway.

Only then did Sarada breathe easier. The cold rain could only do so much for her rapidly flushing cheeks.

_What’s wrong with you Sarada?! _She mentally berated herself. You’ve seen Boruto half naked more times than you could count_. Get it together, woman!_

A short while later the object of her thoughts returned, he’d changed which was a relief.

He threw a blanket at her. “Here,” he said gruffly.

She accepted it with a mumbled thanks. She was wet and freezing but would’ve rather died than ask for his help.

“You need anything in the car?” he asked.

“Why?” she asked suspiciously.

He heaved a harried sigh. “The ground will only get soggier or do you fancy your chances in the mud?”

She didn’t, especially since she was down a shoe. “My cellphone and emergency toiletry bag,” she said begrudgingly. Unfortunately, her bag with her clothes was at the motel back in the small town.

“Oh I also have a pair of trainers in the boot,” she added, recalling that she hadn’t gotten a chance to take them out yet and for once glad she’d been too lazy to.

Boruto nodded then stretched out his hand.

It took her second to realise he was waiting for the car keys. She stood and dropped them in his open palm.

He accepted them and strode towards the door.

“Won’t you just get wet again?” she queried. _What was the point of changing if he intended to go back outside again?_

“I have this,” he said and held up a moss green raincoat. “It rains quite frequently here.” He added.

“Oh.”

He left.

Alone, Sarada huddled with the blanket. She was wet and in need of a change of clothes.

“This is an utter disaster,” she muttered. “What was I thinking coming up here?”

/

“What was I thinking allowing her to stay?” Boruto wondered as he stood on the porch. He’d retrieved Sarada’s things as well as her stash of chocolate bars since he figured something sweet might warm her. And hopefully, melt some of her icy demeanour.

However, even as he questioned his logic, Boruto knew it had been the only choice.

If something had happened to Sarada...well... He didn’t even want to think about it.

He just had to ensure that he kept his distance.

These kinds of storms lasted a good two or three days and they’d be cooped up together. It wasn’t ideal but he believed they could manage.

Food wasn’t a problem and he still had some firewood. It was unfortunate that the fresh pile he’d gotten had been caught in the rain.

His only concern right now was their sleeping arrangements.

The cabin had only one bedroom and the bed was a snug double.

The couch was old and lumpy, not to mention that with his tall frame he’d have a hard enough time stretching out let alone catching any decent sleep.

They’d have no choice but to share a bed. And despite his bravado earlier, the thought gave him great pause.

He hadn’t shared a bed with his wife in... well, quite a while. Before he moved out and set off for the cabin he’d been staying in the spare bedroom.

He liked to think he could control himself, he wasn’t an animal after all. But Sarada had an effect on him like no woman ever had.

Before they started dating he’d dated a few girls, but nothing ever felt serious or permanent. Although pretty, none of them could hope to compare to Sarada. At least that had been his personal opinion.

Sarada might not be aware of it, but she was insanely attractive. She might have started out with a slender build, toned from years of martial arts training, but once they hit sixteen she’d done a complete turnaround.

Her boobs seemed to double in size overnight, much to the excitement of the Academy’s male population. Her hips flared out and her ass became rounder. Sarada went from the tomboyish bossy childhood friend that constantly nagged him to an overblown bombshell that constantly nagged him.

His harmless crush eventually reached its boiling point when he realised some other guy might actually win her over, giving him the courage to finally ask her out.

But Sarada had been wary, his reputation of dating girls only to quickly dump them turning her into a skeptic.

It took him an entire year to wear her down and amidst all of that, he still had to fight off a number of suitors.

But once they became official everything snowballed. She’d given her virginity to him and he’d been regretful that he’d lost his so carelessly.

They were inseparable. After two years of intense dating, he popped the question. His parents were wary but supportive. His friends thought he was straight out crazy for tying himself to one girl at nineteen and her father straight out refused the first hundred times he asked for his blessings.

However, eventually they got Sasuke Uchiha’s blessings and they got married.

It hadn’t been easy.

They were only just starting out, weren’t really financially stable and still somewhat reliant on their parents. But even when things had been hard and daunting they’d been a team, pushing each other and supporting each other to the fullest.

Boruto swore he’d never been more in love with Sarada then when she was still his biggest alley.

They’d been happy and he thought it was forever.

He couldn’t pinpoint when things began to go wrong. Just that they had and at an alarming rate.

Their constant bickering which had been their verbal sparring in high school and the prelude to some of their most intense marathon sex sessions later became more heated and a lot more accusatory.

They fought constantly. It was hell.

At times he couldn’t even stand the sight of her.

Eventually they both had enough.

It had been difficult and painful, but they convinced themselves it was for the best.

And at the time he left, Boruto was certain of it. 

However, months spent in the wilderness with mostly his own thoughts for company he became less certain, more doubtful.

_Had they really given it their all?_

_Or had they just given up too easily?_

Even now Boruto didn’t have an answer for that. But he knew that things between them could never be like they’d been before.

With a heavy sigh he turned the door handle and pushed it open.

Sarada watched him with wary eyes from the couch.

“I brought your stuff,” he announced unnecessarily. He’d taken off his raincoat and hung it out to dry on the porch.

“Thanks,” she said. Her eyes widened when she spotted the chocolates he’d brought along. She snagged one off the bat.

The sight was enough to tug at his lips before he remembered himself.

While she munched on it he went to the fireplace and went about starting a fire. The logs would last them the night, maybe.

But hopefully, by then the wet ones he left to dry would be usable.

Boruto sighed. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really going to try and get this updated weekly so hopefully have it completed soon.


	3. A silent truce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and comments.

-BS-

Finishing off her chocolate bar, Sarada set the wrapper aside.

Boruto had finished his task of lighting a fire and flickering flames provided a soothing glow around the room.

Sarada didn’t like the circumstances, but she had no other choice. “So where is the bedroom I’ll be using?” she asked, standing up.

Boruto turned around. “Right this way,” he said, striding passed her.

She folded the blanket, setting it down on the couch and picked up her toiletry bag. Reluctantly she followed him down the hallway and into a bedroom.

The covers on the bed were rumbled and the air had Boruto’s scent all over it.

Her brows crinkled. “Did you sleep here?” she asked suspiciously, eyes darting over the untidy bedroom. His inability to clean up after himself had been one of her biggest contentions during their marriage.

“It is my bedroom, where else would I sleep?” he asked dryly.

Her eyes widened and she spun around to face him. “Wait, you expect me to sleep here... in your bedroom?!”

With _you_?!

He arched his eyebrows. “Or you could always slug it out on the couch... your choice,” he said with a shrug.

“I-I-I mean don’t you have a guest bedroom or something?”

“You’re right...how silly of me not to find a place for guests when I intentionally set out to live in isolation,” he quipped sarcastically.

She scowled at him. “You don’t have to be rude...”

“And you don’t have to be such a prude,” he retorted. “Sarada, I’ve seen you naked...I knew your body when your breasts were still the size of unripe peaches.”

Her face flushed in embarrassment as she hastily crossed her arms over her now decidedly more ample bosom. “So what? That doesn’t mean I want to share a bed with you!” she said hotly.

“Who said anything about sharing a bed?” he asked. “You’ll take the floor.”

“What?!”

“Or are you that desperate to share my bed?” he asked with a cocky grin.

_This-this-this asshole!_

“No thanks, I’m good.”

The floor looked uninviting as hell.

“Suit yourself.” He muttered.

She hugged the toiletry bag to her chest. “I want to clean up,” she said. She desperately wanted to change out of her sodden clothes.

“Do you have a change of clothes?”

_Of course not, it’s not like she’d planned on staying over or something_. Still, admitting this brought a great knock to her pride.

“No,” she replied honestly.

However, rather than taunt her about it, Boruto merely nodded. “Feel free to grab a shirt in the drawer,” he said gesturing at a chest of drawers lined against the wall.

“Thanks,” Sarada said calmly, but inwardly her heart hammered in her chest. Wearing someone’s clothes was a very intimate gesture. Before, she’d never given much thought to it, often wearing Boruto’s shirts because they were so damn comfortable.

But things were different now.

“Uhm so where is the bathroom?” she asked.

He walked over to an ajar door and pushed it open. “Here... the shower can be a bit tricky but the water is hot,” he replied.

She nodded. “Thanks.”

Holding her toiletry bag in her arms she walked passed him and stepped into the bathroom.

However, one look at the bathroom before her had her crinkling her nose in disgust. “You don’t seriously expect me to bath here right?”

He gave her an unimpressed look. “About a mile from here there is a stream... you can knock yourself out,” he said dismissively.

She bristled. “I could catch something there!”

“You mean like compassion?” he snorted. “Nah with your cold heart you’ll be fine.”

“Bastard,” Sarada muttered under her breath before she turned, stomping to the bed, dropping her toiletry bag on it before turning to him with an annoyed, but determined look. “Do you at least have some cleaning supplies?”

He regarded her coolly, fingers looped through the belt hoops of his jean as he leaned casually against the doorjamb.

_Did he think this was some Ad for rugged outback hunks or something?_

“Boruto,” she pressed mildly.

“Yeah, I do,” he replied.

“Can I use them or do I have to beg for that too?”

His eyes narrowed.

She held her stance.

“You’re a lot of work you know,” he grumbled. “I’ll go get them.”

He left and Sarada blew out the breath she’d been holding.

How she was supposed to survive the night with a prickly jerk she had no idea, but she’d just have too.

/

Boruto returned a short while later and offered her the cleaning supplies.

She took them with a huff before marching into the ensuite bathroom.

He watched her until she disappeared inside.

_It wasn’t that dirty._ He thought sourly. _Sure, he could have picked up after himself here and there, but it’s not like he had to worry about a prissy neat freak of a wife here._

With an agitated jerk of his hand through his hair, he surveyed the bedroom. Mostly it was his clothes that littered the place.

He wasn’t a pig after all.

Still, he didn’t want Sarada harping on him any more than she already had so he went about picking up the discarded clothes.

He didn’t bother trying to discern if they were clean or not before dumping everything inside a clothes’ hamper.

From the bathroom he could hear Sarada’s muttered curses as she worked furiously.

He left her to it and exited the bedroom.

Boruto didn’t plan on being idle.

While Sarada was busy he began on dinner.

All his meals were more for convenience and practicality than anything, but he somehow found himself putting a bit more effort than he’d ever done before.

“The fuck am I doing?” he grumbled to himself but didn’t stop either.

He told himself he wasn’t trying to impress her or even please her. This was for his own peace of mind. The less she had to complain about the better.

He became so engrossed in his cooking that he didn’t even realise a great amount of time had passed until he heard a soft clearing of the throat.

He was just grilling up the fish, the last dish for dinner. He glanced over his shoulder and his heart did a painful lurch in his stomach.

Sarada wasn’t trying to be sexy, but damn if she hadn’t pulled it off.

From her drying hair to the loose shirt that was snug around her chest and hips, barely skirting over her smooth thighs, she had his mind short circuiting.

And she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Boruto swallowed.

Probably...no definitely no underwear either since her clothes were soaked.

“Uhm where can I dry these?” she asked shifting uncomfortably on her feet, her wet clothes bundled up in her arms.

“I’ll put them in the washer for you,” he offered walking up to her. _Don’t look at her chest_. _Don’t look at her chest. For the love of god- Do not look at her rack!_

Sarada handed the clothes to him. “Uhm is there anything I can do to help?” her gaze was fixed somewhere over his shoulder, she was clearly uncomfortable.

“The fish...just make sure it doesn’t stick,” he said, his voice coming out a whole lot huskier than he’d intended.

She didn’t miss it, stepping back unconsciously.

“I’ll put this in the washer,” he mumbled unnecessarily before hurrying away.

Her current state, not to mention the scent of his shampoo on her hair was threatening to do him in.

The washing machine was old but functioned as both a washer and dryer.

He was putting her clothes in when one of the items fell out.

He bent over and froze.

He now had indisputable confirmation that Sarada was definitely going commando.

“Calm down, Uzumaki... it’s just underwear,” he muttered as he picked it up and hastily threw it in with the rest of the clothes inside the washer.

A hand to his forehead told him that he was anything but calm however. He was practically heating up!

/

Sarada had never been the type to walk around without underwear- as in ever. However, she currently had no choice unless she wanted to be stuck with wet panties.

She felt absolutely naked and was embarrassed as hell.

The only reassuring thing was also the most dangerous- that at least it was Boruto. Because even though it was a comforting thought it was also a terrifying one.

Boruto got under her skin like no one else could and he got under her clothes even faster.

One thing that had never soured in their relationship had been the sex.

And now she was thinking about sex with Boruto. “Not good,” Sarada muttered.

“Everything okay?”

Sarada froze, the spatula held uselessly in her hand. “U-Uhm y-yeah,” she stammered nervously not even daring to turn around.

From his heat alone she could tell that Boruto was standing dangerously close. Right behind her. In fact, if she took a tentative step back she’d walk right into his chest.

Sarada breathed through her mouth. If she caught his familiar scent of sandalwood and pure Boruto Uzumaki scent she would not be responsible for her actions.

“You can set it aside,” he said and thankfully stepped away. “I’ll get the plates out.”

“Right,” Sarada said. _Damnit, Sarada, get it together!_

It took them short work to set the table and place the food on the surface.

Sarada was impressed. She’d figured Boruto was living on disgusting canned food and junk. But this meal was actually quite impressive.

“Looks good,” she complimented as she picked up her eating utensils.

He blinked at her surprised.

_Did he think she had no manners or something?_

“Thanks for the food,” she added and dropped her gaze from him. She took a tentative sample and practically moaned. _It was really good! Or she was really hungry._ She hadn’t had an opportunity to eat all day since she’d been nervous about their reunion. “This is delicious... you should give me the recipe for the fish.”

“Oh...you’ve graduated from burning salad?”

Her head whipped up a defensive retort at the tip of her tongue, however, it just as quickly evaporated.

He wasn’t insulting her, but rather he was _teasing _her?

Sarada swallowed. “I’ve been taking some classes,” she revealed. Once Boruto left, she’d suddenly had more time on her hands than she knew what to do with.

Chouchou had suggested the classes and with time to kill she’d joined in.

She was no whiz but she reckoned she could whip up a dish or something and have it be edible.

“Ho?” Boruto uttered, clearly surprised. He’d done most of the cooking in their relationship. “I’d like to try out your food.”

“Maybe you’ll get a chance,” she said with a smirk, only for it to waver as she realised the implications. “I mean sometime...like after-”

“It’s fine, Sarada,” he said warily. “I know it won’t be as my wife.”

Somehow his admission left her with an uncomfortable weight in her stomach.

They finished the rest of the meal in silence. It wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t tranquil either. There were way too many elephants in the room for that.

“I’ll wash up,” she said once they were done.

“I’ll help,” Boruto offered.

But she shook her head. “You cooked, I’ll wash the dishes and dry them,” she insisted.

A few months ago he might have pushed and what had been a harmless conversation would have escalated into a verbal spat.

“Okay, I’ll go shower,” he said before leaving.

Relieved Sarada sighed.

/

Inside the bathroom, Boruto took decidedly longer than he usually did.

Sarada had done an impressive job with cleaning up the place and he mentally conceded that the room looked much better.

He’d thank her later or something.

Once he finished with his very long and meticulous shower he stood before the mirror, staring at his reflection.

He had a bit of a beard going, having not bothered shaving for a time.

He’d always wanted to grow one out, but Sarada said it felt like sandpaper. In a rebellious act, he’d stopped shaving all together when they began sleeping in separate bedrooms.

But he’d be lying if he said maintaining it wasn’t a bit of a pain.

Also, there were apparently some things that didn’t suit him after all.

He picked up the shaver.

When he was finished inside the bathroom he returned to the bedroom and got changed into pajama bottoms. It was more for Sarada’s sake than his. Unlike her, he’d never had a problem with walking around in the nude and quite preferred to sleep naked.

He found her curled up on the couch, draped in the slightly damp blanket from earlier, her chin awkwardly propped on her hand and eyes closed.

He could tell from her measured breathing and slightly parted lips that she wasn’t faking it either.

He might’ve said he’d banish her to the floor but that had only been because she’d been annoying him.

He wouldn’t let a dog sleep on that unforgiving cold floor, let alone his wife.

He bent over and carefully, trying not to rouse her, picked her up in his arms.

Sarada slept like the dead, you could literally do anything to her and she wouldn’t so much as stir.

_Not that he had any intentions of doing anything to her_. He wasn’t a god damn creep after all.

Still, he’d be lying if he said she didn’t feel good in his arms.

Perhaps too good if the blood rapidly flowing south was any indication.

Clearly, living like a celibate monk had made him easily triggered. That was the only explanation he could accept for his growing arousal.

In the bedroom, he pulled the covers before laying her gently on her side.

However, when he made to straighten up she curled an arm around his neck. “Not yet,” she mumbled in her sleep.

Boruto swallowed. _Was she trying to tempt him? Test his cool?_

Because if she was, he was going to fail spectacularly.

He waited for her to loosen her grip before slowly removing her arm.

_That was a close one._ Boruto thought.

Quietly, he walked out of the bedroom turning off the lights. Then he picked up his mobile and stepped outside the porch.

It was still raining, but not as hard as earlier.

He suspected it wouldn’t last long and would be raining torrents once more.

Dialling a familiar number, he held the phone to his ear and waited.

Shikadai answered on the third wrong. “It’s 11 pm man, some of us normal humans have to wake up tomorrow for work,” he groused on the other end of the line.

“Did you tell Sarada I was here?” he asked.

He’d told only a few people. His mom so she wouldn’t worry. His sister for the same reason, and then Mitsuki and Shikadai.

Inojin couldn’t be trusted with a secret to save his life, plus he would have immediately blabbed to Chouchou and the latter would have gone straight to Sarada.

He doubted his mother and sister would’ve broken his confidence.

Mitsuki was like a vault, he’d have kept silent even if Chouchou threatened to bring the wrath of god upon his head.

“Why, did she come?”

  
“It’s Sarada of course she came,” Boruto said exasperated.

“What a pain,” His childhood friend muttered. “Sorry man, but Sarada is pretty scary. Her glasses were flashing silver and everything... I needed to keep my life intact.”

Boruto didn’t refute his claims about how scary Sarada was, but he was still unhappy about Shikadai telling her.

“Still...” he insisted.

“What would you have had me do?” Shikadai asked. “If it was just me I’d have gladly taken it to the grave, but I’m a father, going to be one again soon...can’t exactly leave my kids as orphans.”

Was it him or was everyone having babies? Shikadai, Metal, Chouchou... it was like they were on a special giveaway or something.

“Oh, how is that going by the way?” Boruto asked.

He wouldn’t admit it, but he was low key jealous. He’d always thought since he and Sarada married first, they’d be the first ones to have children.

But life didn’t always pan out as you thought it would.

“A pain,” Shikadai predictably replied. “She’s moody...mean...and hungry all the time,” he complained in a whisper. “Man, if Sarada ever talks about ticking clocks tell her to get a digital one.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth, Shikadai cursed under his breath. “Crap...uhm Sorry I guess it hasn’t really set in yet.”

To be honest, neither had it for Boruto as well. “I tend to look at the positive side,” he said with a forced jovial tone. “At least there’s no kid in the middle of all this.”

But he wondered who he was fooling, certainly not the shrewd and overly perceptive Shikadai.

“So there’s really no chance of you guys reconciling?” His friend asked.

“She brought divorce papers,” Boruto said. “I was actually hoping you’d look them over for me.”

“Damn...Sure, I don’t mind.”

They both fell silent, each deep in thought.

“This is just my personal opinion, but I still think you should give it another shot,” Shikadai said breaking the silence. “You guys have been together for nearly a decade...it’s got to mean something.”

More like everything, but Boruto was tired.

“She’s pretty set on it,” he said dryly. “You know Sarada is stubborn as hell.”

“Yeah, but you’re even more stubborn,” Shikadai reminded him. “When she turned you down flat you didn’t give up. Even when we all thought you were crazy to keep at it after so many rejections.”

“You could’ve left out the many rejections part.” Boruto intoned dryly.

“You wore her down and even I had lost hope.”

“Geez, didn’t know you guys had been so hard done.”

“But you won Boruto... Even her katana wielding dad didn’t stop you,” Shikadai continued. “Are you really going to give up so easily?”

He sighed in frustration, running his other hand through his hair. “What would you have me do?” he demanded frustrated. “Tie her up and keep her here forever?”

“Actually, I was thinking about something that wouldn’t land you in jail,” Shikadai said. “You’re Boruto Uzumaki, you always have a plan.”

Boruto released a humourless chuckle. “Right now Boruto Uzumaki is a failure,” he said defeated.


	4. What they want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments! I wondered if people would actually get behind this story, so it's really wonderful to see such a positive response.
> 
> Not as long as the previous two chapters, however the next one is much longer for uhm various reasons...

**-BS-**

Sarada woke feeling more refreshed than she had in a very long time. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so peacefully.

Sitting up and stretching her arms she sighed contentedly.

Her uplifted mood lasted all of ten seconds before her eyes popped open and she realised not only was she not in her bedroom, but she was clearly in Boruto’s bed!

_Had she slept here throughout the night?_ Panicking she glanced to her side. It was vacant but it was clear from the rumbled bedding and indented pillow that she had not slept alone here.

“Please tell me I did not do something inappropriate,” she muttered anxiously.

There was no telling what unconscious Sarada was capable of.

She groaned into her hand.

_I’m sure you’re just freaking out for nothing._ She mentally told herself.

It was a hopeful thought, one she clung too.

Climbing out the bed, she hissed at the cold floor beneath her feet. So used to having her slippers at the side waiting for her, she’d completely forgotten she was in unfamiliar territory.

Here trainers were probably still by the couch.

She shuffled out of the bedroom, no sign of Boruto anywhere.

Outside the rain had stopped and she instantly became optimistic.

  
Quickly she pulled on her shoes before rushing outside only for her hopes to die an instant death.

The rain might have stopped momentarily, but there was a huge stream flowing over what had been the road.

Even with a boat, she wasn’t guaranteed a safe descent.

It looked like she was still stuck here.

On the bright side, the place wasn’t as bad as she’d initially thought. It actually looked better in the morning light. Rustic but cozy.

And the cool breeze felt refreshing against her skin.

Vaguely she wondered why Boruto had never brought her here.

“Morning.”

Startled, she spun around.

  
Walking towards her with an easy gait and a bucket in his hand was her estranged husband.

In the morning light, he looked even more ruggedly handsome. Hair swept over his head showcasing his handsome features and those incredibly blue eyes that made her heart jump.

Clean-shaven he looked even more handsome.

He was also topless.

“Don’t you ever wear clothes?” she asked harried.

He hiked up an eyebrow, lips curled up in amusement. “Are you sure you are one to talk Miss Scantily Dressed?” he teased.

Sarada’s eyes widened. The air didn’t just feel cool, it was cool because she was donned only in Boruto’s shirt and nothing else!

With a yelp, she held the hem of the shirt over her thighs.

He chuckled, the sound achingly familiar but almost strange since she hadn’t heard it in so long.

“Come inside, I got us breakfast,” he said holding up the bucket.

_More fish?_

But Sarada wasn’t in the position to complain as she followed after him.

/

As much as Boruto didn’t mind having Sarada walking around barely clothed, he decided his patience had been tested enough.

While his wife looked well rested and refreshed he was the complete opposite.  
Without Sarada’s ability to sleep through a raging storm, he’d spent the better part of the night lying rigidly still all the while displaying the sort of discipline that would have impressed a devote monk.

It hadn’t been easy. What with Sarada pressed intimately against him, her arm draped around his middle and her thigh over his leg.

He could almost survive that. _Almost._

But having her nose and lips against the back of his neck had been enough to get him up at the earliest light with a raging hardon.

Tonight he was taking the couch. His neck be damned.

“We’re not making fish?” she asked him curiously after he set the bucket on the counter and retrieved the beef patties he’d left to defrost in a bowl.

“That’s for tonight,” he said. “I figured I’d just do the fishing early so I wouldn’t have to later on...also I think it will start raining again.”

She nodded. “Need any help?”

The type of help he had in mind for her would get him kneed in the nuts.

Swatting away his inappropriate thoughts he merely shook his head. “Nah...I just need to fry them and we’ll use yesterday’s leftovers to go with it,” he replied.

He was surprised when she merely nodded. Sarada was a picky eater. She would never have a burger for breakfast not even to humour him.

  
So her easy acceptance threw him somewhat.

“Oh your clothes are dry,” he said and her relief was palpable. “But feel free to raid my closet...I have an endless supply of sweats and the like.”

“Oh thank you,” she said surprised.

He figured she’d probably be more comfortable in sweats than a skirt if she was just going to be sitting around. _Thinking of which, what were they supposed to do for the entire_ day?

Despite not being able to get a decent night’s rest, he was unnaturally alert.

There was no TV here and the reception wasn’t good.

Basically they had only each other to entertain themselves.

/

Sarada had just finished pulling on Boruto’s sweatpants when her cellphone rang.

“Hey, Chouchou.”

“Don’t ‘Hey, Chouchou’ me,” her best friend bristled. “You were supposed to get back to me yesterday and never did. Do you know how worried I was?”

Her friend could be dramatic, but this time Sarada felt like she had been somewhat careless.

After all she’d ventured into a town she didn’t know and was miles from Konohagakure.

“Sorry, so much happened yesterday and in all that craziness it slipped my mind,” she apologised.

“What do you mean so much happened? Did you get kidnapped by rogue ronin or something?”

Sarada rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t be answering this call if I did.”

“Don’t be sarcastic...it’s a dangerous world we live in.” Her friend insisted. “So what happened...did he who shall not be named sign the papers?”

Sarada smiled. Although they’d all grown up together and were good friends, Chouchou had predictably taken her side in the relationship. And she was quite vocal about her stance.

“Uhm not yet...said he needed someone to look them over,” she replied. “I’m thinking maybe Shikadai since that’s his expertise?”

“Probably.”

Sarada settled on the bed. “Actually I ended up staying at Boruto’s cabin,” she revealed hesitantly.

“You had sex?!”

“What, no!” Sarada exclaimed. “There was a storm and I wound up trapped here so-”

“You guys fell prey to your primal instincts?”

“I did not sleep with Boruto Uzumaki, Chouchou,” she deadpanned.

  
Well, that technically wasn’t true. After all, by all indication she had slept in a bed with Boruto Uzumaki, but that she chose not to mention.

“Good, don’t let him distract you.”

“Didn’t you say I should make sure this is what I wanted?”

“Yeah, but with your head, not your vagina.”

Honestly, her friend was as blunt as it got. Sometimes it could be annoying but mostly Sarada appreciated the honesty.

“So how are you handling it... getting all sentimental?” Chouchou wanted to know.

Sarada sighed. She’d be lying if she said staying in the present wasn’t difficult, but she’d like to think she still had her wits about her. “I’m staying objective... well at least that’s what I’m trying to do.” She said honestly. “What about you... pregnancy still driving you up the walls?”

“Girl, don’t even ask,” her friend complained. “I think I got the wrong fetus...ever since I got pregnant I can’t even stomach the smell of potato chips.”

Sarada tried not to laugh.

Her friend was somewhat of a potato chip connoisseur. If there was a crisp out there, you better bet Chouchou had at least tried it once and could accurately tell you everything you needed to know about the ingredients.

“Yeah...but you got pregnant the good ol’ fashion way remember?”

“It’s showing its parental gene...I’m now about ninety percent certain it’s a boy,” Chouchou said. “And I have this disturbing fear it will pop out with shifty snake-like eyes and an unhealthy attachment to Boruto Uzumaki.”

This time Sarada couldn’t hold her laughter.

“I’m glad my nightly terror brought you amusement.”

“Chouchou, please never change,” Sarada said settling down from her laugh.

“Try telling that to my expanding waistline,” the ginger head grumbled. “But enough about my woes, I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks for checking up.”

“No problem, just stay in touch okay?”

“Okay,” Sarada promised and they ended the call.

A sad smile flickered across her lips. She knew Chouchou was excited about her pregnancy and was only downplaying it for her sake. The thought both pained and touched her.

She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about kids. Before things went left in her marriage, she’d been seriously contemplating the thought and waiting for the opportune time to broach the subject with Boruto.

Only she kept putting it off and things went south and well...here they were.

_Get a grip, Sarada!_ She mentally scolded herself. It’s not like she couldn’t have kids in the future.

But why couldn’t she get the image of a child with her dark hair and Boruto’s captivating eyes out of her head?

“Stupid. Stupid.” She mumbled.

/

“Something wrong?”

Boruto paused, lifting his eyes to meet Sarada’s curious gaze. “No, I guess I’m just tired,” he said with what he hoped was a convincing enough smile.

Sarada didn’t push and he was silently thankful because right now with the crazy thoughts running rampant in his head he was almost afraid of being cornered by her.

_“You’re Boruto Uzumaki, you always have a plan.”_

Shikadai’s words, although he’d dismissed them at the time had left him with a lot to ponder. He could barely concentrate on the food before him, unable to taste anything so consumed by his inner musings.

He’d left. Ran like the devil himself was chasing him and for a while, he thought he’d run far enough.

But he was starting to realise just how fragile his escape plan had been.

And it wasn’t just the desire still whirling inside of him. It was everything about Sarada.

When she returned after changing, he’d been momentarily left breathless once more. It was like the more of her he saw, the more he was reminded of why he’d fallen so convincingly for her.

Those emotions he thought had died kept scratching at the surface, making him question everything.

_If he asked her to reconsider, what would she say?_

“Sarada...” he began, swallowing to lubricate his suddenly dry throat.

“Yes?”

She gazed back at him, her expression merely curious and expectant.

In the face of such an unfazed expression he wavered. Doubted himself and swallowed the words he wanted so desperately to say. “Nothing.”


	5. Make this go on forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quicker update this time. I'm working on something so I want to get this finished soon. I tried not to make things too explicit so yeah...
> 
> Thank you so much for the continuous support!

**-BS-**

Having spent the majority of the day reading and rereading her emails, Sarada finally had to accept the glaringly obvious – she was bored.

She couldn’t imagine a time in her life whereby she’d idled around doing nothing. She couldn’t exactly go outside with the rains having picked up once more and her attempts at meditation had ended up in utter failure.

Because the moment she cleared her mind she’d either hear Boruto muttering or banging around somewhere in the cabin and when the clumsy oaf actually quietened down she’d suddenly become aware of just how much the bedroom smelled like Boruto and then her train of thought would stray to thoughts of Boruto.

Earlier he had been on the verge of saying something. Sarada was certain of it, but she had no idea what.

Sometimes Boruto could be hard to read, even for her.

Which is maybe why they wound up where they currently were, awkward strangers skirting around polite conversation.

It hurt that he couldn’t speak to her. Hadn’t spoken to her really, in a long time.

“Stupid, Boruto,” she muttered under her breath once more abandoning all attempts at distracting herself.

_Why had he given her hope? Hadn’t he been the one all those years ago to say she’d end up alone? Was this the universe’s sick way of turning his words into a prophecy?_

_If that was the case why did he pursue her? Make her fall for him despite all her rational thought? Stubbornly refuse to give up when she kept pushing him away? _

Importantly, why didn’t he show that same stubbornness when things in their marriage began to fall apart? If he hadn’t runoff, would she have filed for divorce?

“Sarada?”

Sarada jumped, startled out of her thoughts. “Boruto,” she uttered, surprised.

He stood at the door, eyebrows raised. “Who else could it be?” he asked sarcastically. “And since when did you become so jittery?”

“Did you come here to insult me?” she retorted annoyed at being caught off guard.

_How did he creep up on her anyway?_

_And why oh why hadn’t he been using those stealth tactics earlier when she was desperately trying to meditate?_

He leaned against the doorjamb, shoving his hands in the pockets of his sweats. “Nah... actually I figured you might be up to your ears in boredom,” he said.

He was right, but she didn’t want him to know that.

“Actually,” Sarada began, holding up her phone. “I was immersed in some work-related matters.”

His lips quivered and he smoothed them with his fingers, clearly struggling to keep a straight face. “Wow, Sarada you’re vision has really improved,” he remarked. “You can work with a black screen now.”

Sarada glanced at her cellphone and noted that the screen was indeed dark. “The battery must have just died,” she said.

“Riiiiiight.”

“So, did you have something to say?” she asked, trying to smooth out her earlier blunder.

“Oh right,” he said and straightened up. “Want to catch a drink?”

Sarada blinked in surprise. “A drink?” she echoed dumbly.

He gave her a sheepish grin. “Nothing fancy like the wine you like, but I have beer,” he explained.

Sarada wasn’t a fan of beer although she drank it if the occasion arose. However, her silence wasn’t out of displeasure, rather she recalled that the first time Boruto asked her out, he’d said something similar.

Granted he’d stammered through the whole thing, scratching the back of his head until she feared he might draw blood.

He’d looked so nervous and unlike the boisterous confident jerk he usually was.

It had made her heart jump and fall ever so deeper.

But of course, she’d still turned him down flat. At the time Sarada had no interest in becoming another of Boruto Uzumaki’s conquests. His popularity with members of the opposite sex had gone to his head and Sarada was the only one to keep him in check.

“It was just an offer, never mind,” Boruto muttered, glancing away.

“I don’t mind.”

He blinked his surprise. “What?”

“I mean it’s not wine, but anything beats doing nothing,” she said, mumbling the last bit to herself as she walked passed him.

“I thought you _were immersed in some wo_-”

Sarada elbowed him sharply in the stomach, cutting off his sarcastic retort. “Shut up.”

“It’s a good thing you’re pretty or someone would have you arrested for that violent behaviour,” Boruto muttered.

Sarada froze, her eyes widening as her heart lurched forward.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time he’d complimented her, but it was rare. Mostly, he’d say it when he thought she couldn’t hear him or when he thought she was sound asleep.

To say it so suddenly and in such a casually flippant manner? She was not prepared!

“Sarada?”

Suddenly he was right in her face, those eyes peering at her. “You’re too close,” she snapped, pushing his face away, completely flustered.

She stalked away and swore she could hear him chuckling.

_Bastard._

/

“Hey slow down... are you trying to get wasted?”

For his consideration, he got a withering glare.

“Fine, do as you please,” Boruto said, holding his hands up in defeat.

Sarada was a complete lightweight. Worse, she became mouthy and overly emotional when she got drunk. He didn’t mind the overly emotional part much, it was a refreshing change to the always in control and aloof Uchiha princess.

Ignoring his warning she gulped down the beer, making a face afterward. “Awful,” she complained.

“Really, you took it like a champ,” he teased before grinning. “Oh wait you are the Konohagakure drinking champ after all.”

She made a face not liking to be reminded of her yet to be beaten record. Sarada might have not liked the taste of beer but she could certainly chuck it down if challenged to a drinking contest. Which is exactly what happened sometime after they started dating.

Iwabee had been the challenger and Sarada with a competitive streak had accepted.

They’d all expected her to lose since she never really drank. They were all wrong and once again reminded never to underestimate an Uchiha.

The aftermath was less celebratory. Sarada got sick and he, the diligent boyfriend, had been left with the cleanup.

The next morning she’d been utterly horrified at her behaviour and hung up her championship belt just as quickly as she’d gotten it.

Despite that, no one had yet to break her record.

“Please don’t remind me,” she groused. “I forever want to erase that day from my life.”

“It wasn’t all bad...” he said, tenderness lacing into his voice as he remembered that that was also the first time she told him she loved him. More like screamed it for all to hear.

Her eyes widened and he knew she was remembering as well. “Let’s change the topic,” she said hastily grabbing another beer.

He was still on his one, but said nothing.

It was obvious she was still a bit on edge since their earlier interaction when he invited her to join him for a drink. He hadn’t seen her that flustered in a very long time and he’d be lying if he said it had no effect on him.

“Do you plan on coming back to Konohagakure?” she asked him.

His leave had meant to be kind of a month long thing, but already three months had passed and he wasn’t sure if he could return soon if they officially ended things. “I don’t know yet,” he said with a shrug.

She nodded.

“You, how’s work?” he asked. It felt strange asking her that question since their conflicting work schedules had also been one of the catalysts for their separation.

They both had demanding jobs with little time for anything else, least of all each other. They argued a lot about it and he might have accused her of treating her job as more important than her marriage.

It got so bad they eventually didn’t even talk about work with each other.

“It’s good...things have settled down even,” Sarada replied.

“Good.”

They fell into a silence.

Strange how it felt like they had little to talk about when once it seemed like there wasn’t enough time to share all they wanted to.

_Was this because so many things had become triggers to an argument in the end?_

“You look better...happy even.”

The observation took him off guard. “What do you mean?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Just... you look relaxed, content...happy,” she explained.

_Did he?_

Boruto wasn’t sure. Maybe a few days ago he’d felt some form of contentment, but now he felt like he didn’t know what he should be feeling.

Being around her, talking to her... all of it was messing with his head.

Sarada finished off her beer and took another.

Boruto’s eyebrows hiked. “Are you trying to break your previous long-held record?” he asked unable to stop himself.

“You know I drink more when I’m nervous,” she let slip, only to freeze at her admission.

“I make you nervous?” he asked, latching onto her verbal slip.

She sighed, dropping her eyes to the drink in her hand. “Not you necessarily...but being here with you...” she paused, exhaled slowly. “I don’t know if it makes sense.”

It kind of did. He also didn’t know how to feel. They weren’t snapping at each other’s heads anymore and were actually talking amicably, it felt weird somehow.

Sarada chuckled humourlessly. “It kind of feels like we’re just skirting around the elephant in the room or something.”

The brown envelop sat perched on the coffee table. His eyes were drawn to it.

“Yeah...I know what you mean.” He agreed.

/

The moment she stood up, Sarada felt the effects of the alcohol. She felt a bit lightheaded and her limps like jelly.

“You okay?” Boruto asked bemused.

She squared her shoulders. “Of course I am,” she said, hating how her words slurred slightly.

She hadn’t drunk an awful lot. Just four beers under an hour had probably not been the best idea.

_Boruto had been right._

But she’d never admit it.

“I’m going to shower and lie down for a bit,” she announced.

“You sure?” he asked crinkling his forehead. “What if you slip and fall? Maybe wait it out a bit?”

“I’m perfectly sober,” she insisted.

“Don’t complain if you end up cracking your skull.” He said shaking his head.

“I’ll be dead so nothing to complain about,” she harrumphed. “I’m sure being a widow would suit you fine.”

A flash of hurt flickered across his face and Sarada realised she’d put her foot in her mouth.

That’s why she hated drinking, her tongue became more loose.

“I...” But she didn’t know what to say.

Boruto turned away without a word.

_I’m an insensitive bitch._ Sarada lamented and they’d been in such a good place.

However, rather than remain in the awkward silence she ambled away.

Her coordination felt a bit off, but she wasn’t tripping over her feet or seeing double.

Sarada wasn’t stupid.

In the bedroom, she took off Boruto’s sweats and tee. Her underwear was next. The latter she’d throw in the washer.

Her hair fastened into a knot at the nape of her neck, she stepped inside the shower cubicle.

She turned the hot water knob but nothing happened.  
She waited.

Still nothing.

“The hell?” she muttered. _It was working just fine this morning._ She tried the cold water and got the very same result.

Even turning the knobs all the way didn’t produce any results.

“Is this for real?”

With a groan and a silent prayer to the heavens, she stepped out and grabbed a towel, tying it around herself and securing it under her arm.

“Boruto?” she called out, peering out the bedroom door. “Boruto!”

Moments later he came striding down the hallway. “What’s wrong?” he asked confused.

“I think your shower is broken,” she told him. “No water is coming out.”

His eyebrows arched. “Oh.”

“Oh?”

“The plumbing is quite old, sometimes it starts acting up,” he explained.

She stepped aside to allow him entry and followed him into the bathroom.

He took his shoes off and entered the cubicle.

“Is it working?” she asked.

“Just give me a second,” he said.

Curious, Sarada entered. “What’s wrong with it?”

“If I just turn the showerhead slightly like-” However the rest of Boruto’s words were drowned out by the sudden gushing out of water.

Since she’d opened up both taps all the way, they were drenched in seconds. Even before Boruto managed to turn them off.

“Ah man,” Boruto cursed, pushing away his wet hair and inspecting his drenched clothes. “This is the second time in as many days.”

He looked clearly vexed too.

For some reason she found the whole crazy situation funny.

“You think it’s funny?” he demanded with a scowl.

That actually made her laugh harder. “You look like a drowned Kneazle,” she said in between her bouts of mirth. “I can’t!”

“Not even a lion, huh?” Boruto asked.

  
She shook her head laughing. “Crookshanks!”

“Why you...” Boruto began as he lunged forward.

She had nowhere to run.

He began tickling her sides making her cry out for mercy.

“Since you enjoy laughing so much let me help you along!”

“Crook—I mean Boruto please!”

“You clearly haven’t’ learned your lesson!”

It happened in a blink of an eye. One moment she was against the wall laughing and squirming to be free, Boruto merciless in his attack and the next her towel was on the floor.

They seemed to realise at the same time their compromising position.

Maybe it was the alcohol but Sarada didn’t jump to cover herself, instead she stood still holding his gaze.

At that moment, Boruto looked nothing like a harmless house cat.

He looked dangerous, the scar across his right eye more pronounced.

But instead of fear, all she felt was excitement.

_This wasn’t a good idea!_ A voice in her head screamed even as she tilted her chin upwards, the challenge flashing in her eyes.

He leaned forward, one hand against the wall the other cupping the back of her head, tangling with her now loose wet strands.

Her skin prickled from anticipation, her tongue darting out to lick her suddenly dry lips.

He paused, his face inches from her own. “Tell me to stop,” he growled out. “If you don’t want this, just-”

But she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him the last inches for a kiss.

/

Maybe it was time. The fact that he hadn’t kissed her in so damn long, but Boruto felt like he was going to come undone.

Sarada’s lips were soft and plaint, her tongue enticing his into her mouth. At the first taste of her, he nearly lost it altogether.

He was like a man possessed, sliding his lips against hers as his tongue explored the inside of her mouth. It was a hot, passionate kiss that seemed to go on forever.

He didn’t want to stop.

  
Wasn’t sure he could even if he wanted too.

But his chest was burning, desperate for air.

And when he knew he could not last another second longer without breathing he reluctantly pulled away.

They both stood panting, eyes glazed with want and lust.

He barely got enough air, before he dove again, claiming her lips again and again.

His hand slid down the tiled wall and curved around her middle pulling her naked body against his own.

His entire body was burning. Desire spurning him as kissed his way across her chin and down her neck.

Sarada moaned, her fingers digging into his back the slight pain a welcome distraction to his painfully aroused state.

He bent further down reaching her chest, her breast full and heavy in his hands. Even with his large hands they spilled over, making his throat dry as he anticipated his first taste in a long time.

He dove for one nipple first, sucking on it until it became a hardened pebble in his mouth. While he mouthed and flicked his tongue over one, his hand worked the other one. Pulling and twisting the nipple between his fingers.

“Boruto, please,” Sarada hissed.

But he wasn’t quite done yet. This might be a quickie but he was at least going to get his fill of her breasts.

She cursed, threatened and all but begged him to hurry up and take her already.

He grinned. She was still as impatient as ever.

_If he went down on her right now would she kill him or beg him not to stop?_

He was tempted, so very tempted, but he was also aroused, painfully so.

And if the angry tugging of his hair was anything to go by so was Sarada.

It had been far too long.

He straightened up and claimed her lips once more.

Her fingers hooked into the waistband of his sweats.

When she curled those same fingers around his length he nearly bucked into her hand and emptied his load on the spot.

That’s just how aroused he was.

She slid her hand over his length and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Too much.

It was too much.

He knocked her hand away and in one deft move hauled her up by her hips and entered her in one powerful thrust.

She moaned as he bit his tongue on an expletive.

It was just as he remembered. She fit him like a glove, her walls slick and snug.

Incredibly she was as tight as ever and the effort to hold off his impending orgasm took all his strength.

She began moving first, her hands on his shoulders as she slid up and down his length

It was such pleasurable torture.

Once he was certain he could move without spilling like an inexperienced teenager, Boruto began to move.

Sarada closed her eyes, biting her lower lip to stifle her sounds.

But he wanted to hear her. Not just that, he wanted to see her eyes as he brought her closer and closer to the edge and finally as she crashed over.

Hands gripping her soft hips he moved, his thrusts deep and measured to prolong both their pleasure.

“Open your eyes.”

She shook her head.

He stopped moving, using up half his willpower in the process.

A disgruntled noise left her lips and she opened her eyes.

“Perfect,” he said and resumed his movements once more.

Sarada’s eyes were incredibly beautiful. Large and the blackest onyx he’d ever seen.

He loved her eyes.

Her lips too.

If he was being honest he loved everything about her.

Having her stare back at him did not leave him unaffected either.

He increased his tempo, pistoning in and out of her as fast as he could.

She was doing a terrible job of stifling her moans as his relentless pounding pushed them both closer and closer to the edge.

He was straining, his balls heavy and swollen but desperate for her to come first.

She was enjoying this, holding off just to mess with his head.

But he’d always had the upperhand.

He moved his one hand between their joined bodies. He barely even touched her, just one flick of his finger on her sensitive nub and she came.

Her clenching walls triggered his own release as she clamped around his length like a vice. He thrust once, twice before shoving himself all the way in as he came with a loud shudder, pumping her full with his seed.

/

Sarada couldn’t seem to fill her lungs with enough air as she panted. Her whole body felt limp and it took all her strength not to slide down the wall, taking Boruto with her.

For his part, he remained standing, still holding her up, his face buried in her neck as he tried to catch his breath.

They were still joined, his semi-hard length still pulsing with life.

_What just happened?_

She knew what just happened obviously. She just had earth shattering sex in the shower with her soon to be ex-husband.

_What just happened?_

Boruto raised his head and met her wide-eyed gaze.

He seemed to be more control of the situation then she was.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

_Was she? After that?_

“I didn’t hurt you, did?” he asked, concerned.

_Maybe just my heart but that’s nothing new._

“Uhm I should finish up here,” she said untangling her legs from around his hips.

He pulled away, shoving his penis back inside his pants. “I’ll leave you to it,” he mumbled.

He stepped out the shower and not a second too soon as all her strength left her body.

Sarada slid down on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest.

_What did I just do?_

/

Boruto stepped out onto the porch and into the cool air.

His heart was racing and a million thoughts were spinning inside his head.

He didn’t regret it.

Not even a little.

But the same probably couldn’t be said for Sarada.

She’d looked downright stunned.

He left not because he wanted too, but because he felt like she needed a bit of time to gather herself.

_‘Sides were could she run off too? The woods? Unlikely._

No, they were both trapped here together for better or worse. Once she was done they’d have a grown-up conversation about what happened.

Clearly there were still some seriously unresolved emotions between them.

That hadn’t been just sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give some insight to Sarada's thoughts. So hopefully this chapter did a bit of that.


	6. After the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments! So this came much later than I'd planned, had some deadlines then got sick because I wasn't sleeping or eating well. Sorry.
> 
> I actually wanted to rewrite this chapter when I was editing it, but with my track record I feared I'd become stuck and then take like a year to update so even though I'm not really happy with it as before, I still worked hard on it and feel it fits the rest of the story.
> 
> The last chapter (I'm still considering adding another one I wrote for this, we shall see) will come very soon.

**-BS-**

Sarada was a mess and a jumble of emotions.

She barely registered showering and drying off.

Everything felt like a dream.

She was conflicted. Confused and a bit terrified. The latter made her hesitant, cautious and nervous.

But she couldn’t hide out in the bathroom forever.

That said she wasn’t ready to face Boruto just yet.

Maybe after a night’s rest, she’d be in the right state of mind to have the conversation she knew he’d demand.

It was cowardly sure, but Sarada needed some more time. Time to think. Time to get her emotions in order.

She’d pretend she was asleep and he’d have no choice but to wait until the next day.

Her course of action decided she opened the bathroom door, stepped out and froze.

She apparently forgot just how well Boruto Uzumaki knew her.

“We should talk,” he said, his eyes set with a determined gleam.

“It can wait until tomorrow,” Sarada said.

He scowled. “No, tomorrow you’ll convince yourself it was all a mistake and run down this hill like the devil is chasing you,” he said.

She frowned. “I’m not the one that ran from my marriage,” she retorted stiffly.

“You’re right... that was on me,” Boruto agreed, his ready acceptance leaving her wrong-footed. “But I’m not running anymore and neither should you.”

“Why does everything have to be in your terms?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. “You run away and now you decide we need to talk?”

He advanced. “Damn straight,” he said. “I let you take the reins too many times.”

She gaped at his nerve. “Excuse me?”

“When you said you were considering the position over at Hi no Kuni to broaden your experience I should have told you how I felt instead of thinking about what you wanted,” he said.

“Wow... does this apply to you travelling all over the place or is it only a problem when it’s me?”

“No, it applies both ways,” Boruto agreed. “Somewhere along the line we stopped voicing our desires... we became complacent and overly cautious about what we said.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Everything!” He exclaimed, startling her. “Because that’s not us, Sarada. We argue, fight over everything and never hold back. That’s what kept us together in the past, but over time we started thinking we needed to be like everyone else. That the constant bickering was childish and something we needed to outgrow.”

Sarada looked away. She knew what he was talking about. When they’d been younger people had teased them about their bickering, that they sounded like an old married couple. Over time people started asking if they were even happy since they argued so much.

It had bothered her, made her wonder if she was nagging him too much. So she’d decided to change, to hold herself in and he followed suit.

Eventually they stopped arguing out the important stuff and when they did start arguing again it was angry resentful accusations.

“Mitsuki once told me I had my hands full with you and Hima,” Boruto recalled. “Because you kept me in check and never allowed me to get away with stupid shit. You kept me grounded Sarada...”

She raised her gaze to him.

His eyes were soft, pleading with her.

“I didn’t ask for us to split because I hated you,” she said, slowly her tone measured. “I just couldn’t stand the look of resentment in your eyes...You were beginning to hate me Boruto and it was making me hate myself.”

“That’s not tr-”

“Not true?” she finished for him, an incredulous look on her face. “Boruto, you said I was like a noose, squeezing the life out of you! How was I supposed to feel?”

He seemed taken aback.

Fine, he wanted this conversation so badly well she’d give it to him.

“You were staying out more, like the sight of me made you sick,” she continued, her voice shaking with emotion. “It’s like you stopped caring about how I felt all together. Then you and Sumire-” but she instantly clamped up.

That was not a discussion she wanted to have.

“What about me and Sumire?” he asked confused.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said firmly.

“No, I think you do and think it’s time we aired everything outright?”

She inhaled sharply, exhaling slowly. “Every time we argued you ran to her,” she said, just recalling that making her chest hurt.

“Wait, how do-”

“Women talk Boruto,” she said. “Sure, she came around like she was being sympathetic and trying to help, but I honestly couldn’t stand the fact that you were telling her your problems and not me, your wife!”

“Okay, I was wrong but she was a friend and-”

“A friend that’s been in love with you since we were twelve!” Sarada yelled. “Why would you think turning to her was a good idea?”

His eyes widened. “Sumire was in love with me?” he asked surprised.  
Sarada didn’t know if she wanted to shake him or slap him or both. “Everyone knows,” she said.

“I-I had no idea...”

Sarada glared at the ground.

“But Sarada you aren’t innocent either,” he said.

Her head snapped up.

“The moment I leave and you run straight to your ex-boyfriend.”

“Kawaki is like family!”

“Family you dated!” he snapped back.

“I only went to him to try and find out where you’d run off too, it’s completely different!”

“Was spending the night at his place also about me?”

Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t leave immediately,” Boruto revealed, running a hand through his hair. “I went over to his place to talk and he wouldn’t let me in. Eventually, he admitted you were inside, in his bedroom.”

_Why did the memory make him want to break something?_

Sarada scoffed. “I was sleeping off alcohol you idiot!” she snapped. “Alcohol I drank because my husband had run off to god knows where and I was hurting.”

“You mean nothing happened between you two?”

“Of course not!” she snapped angrily. “You’re the only man I’ve ever been with. To think you even thought that pisses me off!”

“We were separated, what was I supposed to think when a guy tells me my wife’s lying in his bed?”

“You were supposed to trust me! But you didn’t... not about your problems and not about my fidelity either.”

Boruto was reeling. The whole reason he’d set off for the cabin was because he couldn’t stand the thought of Sarada being with Kawaki.

At the time he’d convinced himself that Kawaki was a better match for her and that Sarada had realised that.

He’d been hurting and angry, entertaining all sorts of crazy thoughts.

It was true that Sarada closed herself emotionally first. But he hadn’t made things any better.

Confiding in Sumire and later convincing himself she’d already moved on.

He’d made a mess of things.

“I...” but he didn’t know what to say.

Sarada looked clearly upset.

_Was there really no hope for them after all?_

/

She couldn’t sleep. No matter how much she tossed and turned the result remained the same.

Boruto was on the couch and even though he was a few steps away, he felt even further than when he’d been here and she’d been at Konohagakure.

Their conversation hadn’t resolved anything. If anything poking at their wounds had only left them both hurting even worse than before.

She‘d thought she was over it all, but she’d been wrong.

She was still angry, still hurt.

Sitting up she grabbed her cell phone and dialed Chouchou’s number.

It rang only twice before it was picked up. “Hello?” the clear and coherent voice did not belong to her best friend.

“Uhm hi... Mitsuki is Chouchou around?” she asked.

“She’s sleeping,” he replied.

Only Mitsuki could sound wide awake at 3 am in the morning. _Did he even sleep?_  
Chouchou once said she was convinced he was a vampire. Seeing as this was the same girl that had also doubted her parentage she hadn’t put much stock into it.

But maybe her friend had been onto something.

“Oh.” She said disappointed. She wanted to talk to her so badly.

“That Sarada?” she heard a muffled voice, thick with sleep. “Give me the phone.”

“What about your rest?” she heard Mitsuki ask.

“I’ll rest once I’m dead,” was the snarky response.

He sighed. “Just a moment,” he told Sarada.

Sarada heard more muffled voices before her friend’s voice came through. “Sarada, what’s wrong?” Chouchou asked panicked.

“I-I-I...” Sarada stammered her throat closing up as her eyes burned. “I love him, Chouchou. I love him so much it hurts.”

And Sarada, the icy Uchiha princess broke down sobbing.

/

“Is that everything?”

“Yes.”

Boruto shifted uncomfortably on his feet, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

This morning Sarada woke him up and told him she was heading back.

It had stopped raining but the roads were still bad.

He managed to convince her to drive her down in the truck back into town. She’d been hesitant but she agreed.

They hadn’t spoken much. I_t was weird and downright difficult but what could he do?_

He had no right to stop her.

They stood facing off at the motel. She was wearing the outfit of three days ago. _Had it really only been three days? It felt almost like a lifetime._

She said she’d grab a train back, so he really had no reason to linger, but his feet wouldn’t budge.

“About the papers...” he began tentatively.

“Take your time,” she said. “You can send them afterward.”

He nodded.

_Why did he feel like he was breaking off chunks of his heart right now?_

“I’ll get going then,” Sarada said. “Fortunately I booked for the weekend so my stuff should still be in the room.”

His throat felt thick and hoarse. “Right...” he said.

“Don’t worry about the car, I’ll hire a tow truck or maybe get Papa to come get it,” she said.

She was cutting all ties to him.

And he felt helpless.

He merely nodded.

A breeze swept passed and tendrils of her hair got caught in the wind.

Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. He hadn’t asked. Was afraid too.

Yet even with the swollen eyes, she looked so beautiful it hurt.

She curled her hair behind her ear. “Goodbye, Boruto.”

He couldn’t speak so he simply raised his hand in a wave.

She turned.

_What are you doing?!_

_If you let her go like this you might as well give up forever!_

_Speak damnit! Tell her you want her to stay!_

“Just wait one god damned minute!”

Boruto froze, eyes widening. _Where did that come from? Worse, it sounded eerily like..._

“Chouchou?!” it was Sarada, clearly shocked as well to see the voluptuous women stride purposively towards them. Well, she was trying to, Mitsuki was sort of keeping her from barrelling towards them with a firm hand on her arm.

“You’ll fall,” he warned.

“And you better catch me!” She snapped at him. But her ire was directed elsewhere and judging from her projection it was right at him.

Both he and Sarada could only watch.

“But how?” Sarada questioned.

“She forced me to drive her over in the middle of the night,” Mitsuki explained. He seemed neither exasperated nor annoyed. But he was calm like that. “Sorry for the intrusion.” He added with a wry smile.

“Well, I’m not!” Chouchou snapped. She slapped his hand away then proceeded to point an accusatory finger at Boruto. “You made my best friend cry!”

“What?” he uttered.

“Chouchou!” Sarada exclaimed.

“You made Sarada Uchiha cry,” Chouchou reiterated. “And only Mufasa’s death in The Lion King and The Notebook have the exclusive right!”

_What does The Lion King have to do with this? And what was this about a notebook?_

“Your pulse is rising, that’s not good for the baby,” Mitsuki said.

“My pulse is going through the roof if you don’t keep that resperate away from me right now!”

Even Mitsuki knew when to jump off a speeding train. He dropped his hands and seemed content to let his wife vent.

“Now, you,” Chouchou said angrily. “Just because you’re the fourth most good looking guy under thirty in Konohagakure doesn’t give you the right to hurt my friend!

_Only fourth?_ Boruto thought. _Who was first, second and third?_

“Chouchou,” Sarada tried weakly, but she too was ignored.

“Sarada loved you when you thought black tracksuits with pink stripes was it!” Chouchou yelled.

“I don’t think insulting Boruto’s old questionable fashion taste is necessary,” Mitsuki said.

“What?!” Boruto said insulted. “You rocked ponchos all throughout high school! How can you call my fashion taste questionable?!”

“Mitsuki was avant-garde there’s a difference,” Mistuki’s wife was quick to defend her husband. “And back to what I was saying. Sarada has had your back through everything and if you love her like you claim then you won’t just let her go without a fight!”

_So there was a point to her insult to his character._ Boruto mused.

“Yes, she can be cold and distant-”

“I thought you were on my side!” Sarada interjected.

“And sometimes even I don’t know what’s going on inside her head,” Chouchou continued as if Sarada had not spoken. “But she loves unselfishly and to a fault. She blamed herself when you left.”

The fact that Chouchou managed all that in one single breath was quite impressive.  
When she stopped talking a silence fell over them.

Boruto was watching Sarada. She hadn’t denied a thing that was said.

_Had she really taken all the blame upon herself? Then again this was Sarada they were talking about, she blamed herself even over things beyond her control._

“Why don’t we go over to that vending machine?” Mitsuki suggested to his wife. “We can buy some potato chips or something.”

“Are you purposively trying to pick a fight?” Chouchou asked with a scowl. “You know I can’t stomach potato chips right now.”

He smiled, steering her towards the vending machine. “She has my sensibilities,” he said with a softness that still took getting used to. At least for Boruto.

“It’s a _he_,” Chouchou said, her anger having left her. “No daughter of mine would turn her nose at potato chips. It’s definitely a boy.”

Boruto watched his friends as they walked away, no doubt to give them some privacy. It never ceased to amaze him how they made no sense but worked so well.

Chouchou was blunt, opinionated and superficial. Mitsuki was evasive, contemplative and didn’t possess a single superficial bone in his body.

Maybe it was because they were such opposites that it worked.

He and Sarada, on the other hand, were too much alike at times. Both competitive, vocal and stubborn to a fault.

But he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

Before she became the love of his life, she was his greatest rival. Pushing and challenging him to be better.

Boruto chuckled running a hand through his hair.

“What’s funny?” Sarada asked, curious.

“I owe, Chouchou big time,” he said.

“What?”

“She gave me the push I needed,” he revealed. “I was standing here, wondering how to muster the courage to stop you from leaving.”

“Boruto...”

“I’m sorry, Sarada,” he said sincerely. “I hurt you. I didn’t trust you when I should have.” He admitted. “I know it’s asking for a lot, but please give me another chance?”

There he’d laid himself bare, it was her move next.

He waited in bated breath, growing more anxious by the second.

_Was it too late?_

/

Sarada stared at Boruto.

Honestly, turning away from him had been one of the hardest things she had to do.

She’d already accepted that she loved him to the point of no return.

For her, it had always been Boruto Uzumaki. Even when he was an annoying self-entitled spoilt brat.

It took him a bit longer to reach the same conclusion and by then she’d already dated Kawaki, further affirming her feelings for the reckless blonde.

Even now she still remembered how her heart raced the first time he confessed. How she was certain she’d explode from her overwhelming emotions.

“I know it’s asking for a lot, but please give me another chance?”

His words rang inside her head as she stood perfectly still.

He looked nervous, just as he had back then.

And just like back then, Sarada swallowed her mounting emotions and crossed her arms across her chest, chin jutted out defiantly. “You think I’d be with a spoilt punk like you?” she scoffed.

Her heart squeezed inside her chest.

Boruto’s brows furrowed for a split second, and then his eyes widened in recollection.

“You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that,” she finished.

He took a step forward, and another until he stood before her. “For the rest of my life,” he promised as he cupped her face. “I’ll try harder than I have in anything else before.”

Her eyes burned.

“Are you crying?” he asked tenderly.

“Don’t be stupid, idiot,” she sniffed. “My eyes are clearly washing themselves.”

He laughed and she laughed and hiccupped, tears escaping her eyelids.

“And I’m sorry for pushing you away,” she said.

It was never her intention to push him away or erect walls around herself, but afraid of disappointing him, their friends and family she’d convinced herself to be stronger. Not to allow her emotions to show.

It seemed she was indeed her father’s daughter in that regard.

But she vowed to do things differently from this point forward.

“I love you, Sarada Uzumaki,” Boruto said and bent over to claim her lips in a kiss meant to convey all his feelings.

Happiness swelled inside her chest before rapidly spreading over the rest of her.

When they pulled away, foreheads touching and fingers intertwined between them, she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Uzumaki...I thought we’d agreed you’d take my last name, Mr Uchiha.”

“Not this again...” Boruto mumbled.

“What, the Uchihas are a noble clan,” she pointed out.

He smirked. “Sure, once you minus the part of their penchant of going rogue and leaving destruction in their wake among other things,” he said under his breath.

“Are you picking a fight?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“You’re lucky I love you.”

“I know.”

“I’m selling that Mustang by the way...”

“Anything my wife wants.”

“I thought you loved that car?”

“I did...but mostly it was to piss you off.”

“Wow, admitting to it. You’re quite brave.”

“I have an insanely strong wife you know?”

“Pfft”

“She’s also beautiful.”

“Oh?”

“Oh and that cute sound she makes just before-”

“Boruto!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if it wasn't obvious I ship Chouchou and Mitsuki lol...well to be fair I ship Chouchou with Shinki and Inojin as well. Don't judge me.


	7. We need to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I'd like to take the time to thank you all so much for your support. The comments and kudos were much appreciated. It started slow and I even wondered if anyone would even be interested in this since it wasn't a time travel fic or centered around fighting. 
> 
> Secondly, sorry this update came so late. I was so busy I actually forgot about this story or any story for that matter. Adulting is hard...I don't think people say it enough, especially when you're studying as well.
> 
> Lastly, I added another chapter. I wanted more fluff, I nearly went overboard but I stopped myself.

**~BS~**

“...then just leave it to cook for another 45 minutes.”

Sarada frowned as she stirred the contents inside the pot with one hand while the other lowered the heat, her cellphone wedged between her ear and shoulder. “Are you sure Mama, I’ve already been cooking this for thirty minutes?” she asked.

She could just imagine her mother nodding on the other end of the line. “Yes, yes of course. I’ve cooked curry a hundred times before,” Sakura said confidently.

“Okay, I trust your judgment.”

Tonight had to be perfect. She couldn’t very well afford to have the meal for their special dinner be a disaster.

“But I am surprised,” Sakura said. “You wanting to cook, what’s the occasion?”

Sarada was affronted. “What do you mean, I cook....” however her voice trailed off as she thought of how often, well rather infrequent that was. “_Occasionally_...”

“Riiight,” her mother hummed, her amusement clear.

She suppressed a huff. _She could cook all the time too, but she didn’t have to so why do it?_ She’d clearly gotten her logic from her Papa’s side of the family...

“Actually, Mama I got to go now so chat later.”

“Good luck~”

Ending the call, Sarada surveyed the kitchen. Everything else was ready. She’d taken the day off to make sure she’d have everything prepared.

Now all that was left was for _her_ to get ready.

/

Boruto was nervous. The last time Sarada told him they needed to talk, things hadn’t ended so well. He tried to reassure himself that he was probably overthinking it.

They were in a good place – scratch that – in a great place. It was like they were teenagers all over again, except she wasn’t withholding the goodies and he wasn’t trying to meet the blade of her father’s sword. Well, the latter was debatable, Sasuke hadn’t really forgotten how Boruto broke the heart of his pure daughter.

“You’re stressing for nothing, she probably just wants to spend more quality time with you,” Shikadai had said when he’d brought up his concerns during lunch.

“We live together, she works ten minutes away...we practically spend all our time together,” he’d pointed out.

“Which is a good thing,” Inojin had interjected. “Wasn’t your lack of time together the reason she left you?”

“Technically, he ran away...like a little bitch,” Kawaki had corrected bluntly.

Before Boruto could even respond, probably through his drink at him, Mitsuki had spoken up. “Isn’t it great how you two passed that and are now as close as ever?”

Absolutely no one had second that.

“But I’m telling you,” Shikadai ever the voice of reason had said. “A woman that’s going to dump you isn’t going to have sex with you in your office a week before.”

Boruto’s face had gone beetroot and he’d nearly choked on his drink at that. “I thought you said you heard nothing!” he’d accused, clearly flustered.

Although, that hadn’t stopped him from childishly throwing a look at Kawaki, who’d merely rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I did. I also tell my wife I’m excited every time she announces another pregnancy,” Shikidai had deadpanned.

A long drawn out silence filled with sympathy had followed.

Now standing before their house, Boruto felt even a bit more anxious.

“Calm on, Sarada loves you,” he said under his breath. “She might have puked all over you yesterday morning...but there’s love.”

Resolved, he squared his shoulders and using his key, turned the lock before pushing the door open and entering their home. The smell of curry wafted in the air making his mouth water.

_That was a good sign, right? No one went through the effort of cooking just to dump you. Right?_

Quickly Boruto removed his shoes, slipping into the house slippers set aside for him.

Now he had his reservations with Sarada’s cooking, but hopefully, the meal tasted as good as it smelled.

“Sarada?” he called out as he walked the short hallway, headed for the kitchen.

“In the kitchen!” she called out.

She didn’t sound angry or even annoyed. _Looking good, Uzumaki._ Boruto thought with a smile.

He stepped into the kitchen and found she’d set the table and was busy bustling around with pots. It was a rare sight. Usually, he did most of the cooking- it was just one of those unwritten rules in their relationship.

“Something smells delicious...” he said to get her attention.

She glanced up, her face lighting up when she saw the flowers. “Boruto, you didn’t have too...” she said.

At the smile she bestowed upon him, he felt like kicking himself for even contemplating she didn’t want him anymore.

_He was an idiot. Well, at least her idiot anyway..._

“Actually love I do and I should probably do it more often,” he said before he leaned in for a kiss. “Hi...” he greeted afterward.

“Hi yourself,” she returned in a breathy voice, eyes glossy.

He had half a mind to tempt her to put dinner on hold but before he could initiate his plan, Sarada relieved him of the flowers and put distance between them as she located a vase for them.

“You look stunning by the way,” Boruto added, giving her an appreciative once over.

She was wearing a simple red dress, but it hugged her curves in all the right places and it didn’t hurt that it also dipped just above her breasts, exposing creamy skin.

Boruto was hungry but not so much for food right now.

“Don’t even think about it Uzumaki,” Sarada warned as she turned from placing the flowers in a vase.

  
“Don’t even think about what?” he asked innocently.

“You have that _look_...”

“What look?”

“You know what _look_,” she said with an eye roll. “Dinner first, I spent half the day preparing all this.”

He knew the look she was talking about, it was the same look he often used liberally to persuade Sarada to spend just five more minutes in bed in the morning.

Deciding to humour her since it did look like she’d put a lot of effort into dinner, he took a seat as she placed his plate before him.

“Baby carrots... baby Brussels sprouts... are you trying to tell me something?” he asked with a teasing smile.

Sarada grinned.

“They ran out of the normal veggies, didn’t they,” he surmised stabbing a carrot with his chopsticks. “You should’ve told me I would’ve bought some from my way here.” He added.

He sampled the curry, it actually tasted as a curry should.

“This is good, Sarada,” he complimented, thinking she was unusually silent because she was nervous about his reaction.

“That’s all?” she asked with a frown. “It’s just good?”

Boruto blinked. _Had he said something wrong?_ He wondered. “It’s _really_ good?” he tried.

Sarada bit on her bottom lip looking as if she was on the verge of tears. _What the hell?_

“Sarada, baby, what’s wrong?” he asked suddenly concerned.

She sniffed. “You think it’s just really good,” she said as if he’d insulted her.

“It isn’t?”

Now he was confused.

“I don’t know!” she exclaimed, wiping furiously at a few errant tears.

Now Boruto was full blown worried. His wife wasn’t one for random bouts of crying let alone over curry. He needed to backpedal fast!

However, before he could begin to find the right words to smooth things over they both seemed to smell something burning at the same time.

“The cake!” Sarada cried, leaping to her feet. She rushed to the oven but Boruto knew it was too late for their desert. “This is just horrible!” then she started to really cry, sobs wracking her body.

Discarding his meal, Boruto rushed to her side in a panic. “Sarada, what’s wrong?” he asked tenderly.

“The cake burnt!”

“It’s just cake, love,” he tried to reassure her, however, his words had the opposite effect.

“It’s not_ just_ pudding, just like the curry is not_ just_ good, Boruto!” she exclaimed.

He scratched the back of his head. “Okay, I have no idea what’s going on,” he admitted at a complete loss.

Sarada sighed. “I’m pregnant, Boruto,” she explained. “The baby vegetables were supposed to be a clue.”

“They were?” he asked dumbfounded.

“Boruto!”

A grin stretched across his face as he laid his hands on her hips. “You’re really pregnant?” he asked amazed.

Sarada nodded with a tentative smile. “I know we’d never gotten around to discussing it before everything went south,” she said.

“That’s all in the past - Sarada we’re going to have a baby!” he exclaimed excitedly.

Immense joy, the kind he’d never felt before swelled inside of him threatening to overwhelm him. He picked Sarada up, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

“Thank you,” he said, his face pressed against her neck, not wanting her to see the sudden tears mirrored in his eyes.

When he thought about how he’d almost lost her and now this, he could barely contain his emotions.

“You’re squeezing the breath out of me, idiot,” his wife strained out, but her voice was filled with tenderness and love.

He immediately set her on her feet. “Sorry, did I hurt you?” he asked panicked. “The baby?”

Sarada chuckled. “We’re both fine,” she assured him as she ran her fingers through his hair affectionately. “We’re a lot tougher than we look, you know.”

Boruto of all people knew just how strong Sarada was, but she was pregnant and that was different. Right? Man, he needed to call Mitsuki and Shikadai! Find out as much as he could about what to expect in the next oncoming months.

He was a bit, okay a lot, terrified but the happiest he’d ever been.

“So I was thinking we’d tell our parents at the same time, it’s only fair,” Sarada was saying.

Right now, he’d agree to anything she wanted. “Of course.”

“I think Mama already suspects something...Papa is going to be surprised I think.”

Boruto was still smiling, holding his wife in his arms. “Yes, yes, whatever you wan- WAIT, WHAT?!”

Sarada gave him a confused look. “What?”

“You said Papa... as in you want us to tell Uncle Sasuke as well?!”

“Well, obviously, we can’t just _not _tell him, Boruto,” his wife said like he was being silly.

“Why not?” he asked completely serious, as he sat her down on her feet.

“Boruto...”

“I want to live a long life!” he exclaimed grabbing his hair with his hands, not understanding how she could be so calm about all this. “See our babies grow, retire... you know happy things!”

“Now, you’re just being dramatic...” Sarada chided as she folded her arms.

“Let’s run away?” he suggested imploringly. “At least until the baby turns eighteen or something.”

“Boruto...”

“The cabin is perfect don’t you think?”

“Boruto...”

“You’re right, it’s too small, we’ll need something a bit bigger...maybe I should give Shinki a call ask if they got some good houses up for sale?”

“I’m not listening to you anymore~”

“Saradaaaa!”

/

“Er what’s up with these baby vegetables?” Naruto asked, poking at his food. “Did they run out of normal veggies?”

Sakura and Hinata both chuckled, their eyes brimming with excitement and happiness.

They were all seated around the table in the Uchiha resident. Boruto sat strategically next to the closest exit.

“Are you an idiot?” Sasuke asked of his old friend and rival. He’d been quiet for the most part, which wasn’t all that out of character. Sighing, he stood up, Boruto tensed up. “So... when was the last time we got some training?” he asked, directing the question at the younger Uzumaki male.

“S-s-sensei?” Boruto stammered.


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for mistakes, my editing was suspect at best.

**~BS~**

“Hey, hot mama!”

Sarada made a face, her swollen stomach making it impossible to rise with her old agility.

“Don’t stand up,” Chouchou hurriedly said.

Her friend looked refreshed not to mention lithe.

“I hate your figure right now,” Sarada groused.

Chouchou struck a pose. “Jealous?” she said with a wink. “Don’t worry once I finish breastfeeding I’ll bounce right back...my man loves his woman thicc.”

Sarada covered her face. “Please, that’s way more information than I needed to hear,” she said.

Chouchou laughed as she sat down.

They were meeting at a small café they often frequented.

The waitress came over and took their orders before leaving.

“I’m surprised you could pull yourself away from your family,” Sarada quipped with a smirk.

“No way, mama needed a break,” Chouchou said with a shake of her head.

“The twins are that bad?”

“No, their father,” her best friend said with a face. “I swear everything fascinates him. I’m worried that he’s treating them like one of his experiments.”

“What do you mean?”

“He records everything!” Chouchou exclaimed. “The other day he told me I needed to change the way I breastfeed Ryu as he’s too gassy ...”

Sarada cocked her head to the side puzzled. “What’s wrong with that?” she asked. “It’s a good thing, right?”

“He then proceeded to tell me how he came upon that conclusion,” her best friend said. “He’d recorded the number of times Ryu passed gas and compared it to what was deemed normal for a five-month-old.”

Sarada laughed. “No way!”

“He’s driving me crazy, at least the twins are amused by it all,” Chouchou said with a shrug.

“At least he knows what he’s doing,” Sarada pointed out. “I’m worried Boruto is in way over his head.”

The waitress brought their frothy smoothies.

“How so?”

“He’s going around asking anyone and everyone about childcare and growing more confused by the day,” she said. “I keep telling him it’s a baby not a mission, but well...”

“How did such beauties like us end up with such weird men?” Chouchou asked.

“Tell me about it.”

They shared amused smiles.

“So how was your checkup?”

“Great,” Sarada replied. “It’s a boy...I was a bit disappointed since I wanted a girl, but I’m just happy he is healthy.”

“Well, there’s always next time,” Chouchou said with a wink.

Sarada smiled. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Chouchou asked puzzled.

“How many kids do you plan on having?”

“My childbearing days are over,” the ginger head said firmly. “Pregnancy was a nightmare. Mitsuki should thank his lucky stars we got twins ‘cause there is no way I would do that all over again.”

“I’m still amazed you had no idea you were having twin,” Sarada mused, a cross between bemused and surprised.

“Don’t remind me, I nearly passed out when after I spent hours in labour and thinking I was done the doctor said ‘Okay, now for the other one’...I honestly still get nightmares!”

Sarada laughed. “At least you were both right about the gender,” she pointed out. “It was a boy _and_ a girl.”

“What about you?”

“Me?” Sarada uttered. “I think I want a really big family.”

“Like Shikadai?”

“Not that many!” She hastened to add. “But definitely more than two. I think growing up as an only child really made me want to have a huge family.”

Chouchou smirked. “I’m going to wait until after you give birth,” she said. “Believe me you will be singing a different tune.”

“Is it that bad?”

“It’s worse,” her best friend said. “Shikadai’s wife deserves a medal. I’d just cut off his penis at this point.”

Sarada winced. “Or use birth control?”

“What are you talking about, she’s tried everything,” Chouchou said, eyes wide. “Her womb just keeps kicking them out like a slot machine.”

Sarada snorted her drink and coughed. “Chouchou stop.”

Her friend just shrugged. “It’s the truth though...”

/

Boruto glanced at his wristwatch and swore.

He was running late.

Sarada was going to have his head.

Her pregnancy left her with two emotions – pissed off and very pissed off.

He had more respect for Shikadai now. To go over that again and again?

He shuddered.

“Boruto-kun?”

He stopped, turning around.

Sumire walked up to him, smiling pleasantly. “Are you leaving?” she asked.

It had taken Boruto by surprise when Sarada said Sumire was in love with him and had been for years in fact.

However, when he brought it up with his friends once he returned, they’d just given him unimpressed looks and asked if he was being funny or purposely dense.

That made him analyze his interactions with Sumire and he began to notice that she did treat him differently than other males.

He hadn’t wanted to outright confront her as she’d never confessed her one-sided feelings, but he made sure to keep his distance.

He didn’t want her to hold out hope that he would one day return her feelings.

“Yeah, I have dinner with the family,” he replied. The Uzumakis and Uchihas together under one roof was always a sight to behold.

You’d swear their fathers were kids or something, the way they bickered and competed over who was going to be the better grandfather.

“Oh... that sounds nice,” she said, her smile dimming somewhat.

_How had he never noticed?_ Boruto wondered. She was always giving him pained smiles when he talked about Sarada and he just didn’t notice anything amiss until now.

“Boruto-kun, actually can I speak to you privately for a moment?” she asked.

He hesitated. He was already running late. Sarada was preparing her mourning clothes right about now. Since, she was going to kill him for being late.

“O-Okay,” he agreed warily.

/

Boruto arrived at his parents’ house, clutching a bouquet of roses hoping they’d be enough to douse Sarada’s temper.

He entered a house filled with voices and laughter. Everyone was in the lounge, his father and Sasuke were on opposite ends a table, each with a small paddle in hand as they faced off in a game of table tennis.

By the way his father was hurling insults and glowering while Sasuke smirked, it was clear who was winning.

“Boruto!” his sister called out.

She and Kawaki were assembling what looked to be a wooden dog sculpture. Kawaki always acted like he helped out reluctantly, but Boruto was pretty sure he enjoyed it.

He waved. He didn’t spot Sarada anywhere. _Had she gotten annoyed and left?_ He sure hoped not.

“Hey,” he greeted everyone.

His mother gave him a hug, Aunt Sakura too.

His sister glared at him. “You’re late!” she accused.

_Yeah, he definitely had his hands full with Sarada and Hima._

“Uhm sorry,” he apologized. “Dad...Uncle Sasuke?”

“Not now Boruto, your father needs to reclaim his honour!” Naruto said, focusing intently on the game.

_It’s just table tennis though. _Boruto thought.

“Oh it’s not just table tennis,” his mother said, still able to read his mind after all these years. “They are fighting for who gets to cut the umbilical cord.”

“Huh?” Boruto said. “Isn’t that my honour?”

“You’re a decade too early, boy,” Sasuke said firmly. “And your father is being greedy. He’s done it twice already!”

“This will be my first grandchild too!” Naruto insisted stubbornly.

“You still have Himawari-chan!” Sasuke pointed out.

Naturo’s face became a scary mask. “Hima, will never get married so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Papa!” Hima exclaimed, clearly embarrassed.

“Besides, Sasuke,” Naruto added. “You can have your turn with the next one.”

It was Sasuke’s turn to cut Naturo a deathly glare. “What are you talking about?” he snarled. “That brat is never laying his hands on my precious daughter again!”

“Sasuke...” Aunt Sakura said.

Boruto was pretty sure Sasuke could still whoop his ass, especially if their last ‘sparring’ session was anything to go by. “Where is Sarada?” he asked, glancing around for his wife and wanting to change the subject.

He and Sarada wanted more kids. He wasn’t about to risk life and limb by revealing that though.

“Upstairs,” his mother supplied. “The poor thing was exhausted.”

“I’ll go check on her,” he said.

“Let me put those away,” Aunt Sakura said as she took the flowers. “Sarada sure is lucky...her husband buys her flowers.”

“Tell me about it,” his mother quipped, both women giving their husbands unimpressed looks.

Seeing two of the strongest men he knew sweat drop was quite a sight.

But from the glares they directed at him, he somehow felt like they were putting the blame on him.

Boruto hurried away.

He found Sarada in his old bedroom, curled on the bed, sleeping.

She took his breath away. He entered, closing the door behind him.

Standing by the bed he just marvelled at her.

He tried not to think about how he nearly lost all of this, but when he did it impressed upon him the importance of never again letting go.

His eyes wandered from his wife’s beautiful slumbering face to her distended belly.

Their baby was in there. So many emotions came over him.

He placed his palm lightly on her stomach. The baby had recently begun to move, making its presence felt with soft kicks that left him in awe.

He bent over and pressed a gentle kiss on Sarada’s belly.

“What do you think you’re doing to a defenseless sleeping woman?”

Boruto smirked as he straightened up. “I was just greeting little Rain over here.” He said.

His wife scowled. “I told you we are not calling our kid some random name.” She said.

“How about Storm?” he suggested, grinning.

“How about I hurt you...slowly?”

He laughed, sitting beside her. “What’s wrong with calling our kid in memory of the night they were conceived?” he asked.

He was joking of course but he never missed an opportunity to tease his wife.

“Not happening,” Sarada said firmly. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re late.”

And he thought if he distracted her enough she’d forget. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I brought you flowers.”

Her eyebrows arched. “What did you do?” she questioned.

“What makes you think I did anything?” he asked innocently.

“Flowers are you I’m sorry for being an idiot gift,” she said.

“I thought they were a symbol of my undying love and devotion.”

“Boruto...”

He ran a hand through her hair. It was longer than he’d ever remembered it being. When he suggested she keep it, she told him she was going to cut it first thing after she gives birth.

“I ran into, Sumire,” he revealed.

Sarada merely glanced up at him.

“She wanted to apologize,” he said. “She also wanted to tell me about her feelings... something about getting them off her chest.”

“Totally relatable.” his wife deadpanned.

“I felt bad for her,” he said. “To love someone and not have that love returned must be painful.”

“I guess,” Sarada said with a shrug. “For what it’s worth, she and I had a talk too.”

He arched an eyebrow, this was news to him.

“Don’t worry,” she said with a smirk. “There was no fighting over Boruto Uzumaki.”  
  


He snorted.

“You look disappointed...”

“How vain do you think I am?” he asked, feigning offense.

Sarada gave him a look.

“Well... maybe you could’ve... I don’t know made some dramatic declaration of love? ...or maybe defended my honour or something,” he said with a pout.

“What are you, a fair maiden?”

Using his hands to brace himself he leaned over her, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I’m surprised this morning’s performance left you with some doubts, my dear...” he said with a smirk. “Maybe I should refresh your memory?”

Sarada’s eyes widened. “Our parents are downstairs!” she exclaimed in a scandalised whisper.

Boruto laughed, enjoying seeing the level headed Uchiha clearly flustered.

She mock glared at him.

He grinned but after a moment he regarded her seriously.

“What?” she asked suspiciously.

“Thank you for loving me back,” he said solemnly.

He wasn’t perfect. Neither was she. But they worked and having her beside him meant the world. He’d never take that love for granted ever again.

Sarada’s face flushed and she glanced away. “Don’t be stupid,” she grumbled.

“I’m just so happy right now,” he said settling down beside her. His old bed was small so it was a pretty tight fit, not that he minded. “Having you and Thunder...”

“I’m going to give you a matching scar on your left eye.”

Boruto chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, finally! I'm so happy and relieved. Uhm so about possible baby names or who I paired Shikadai with, I'll leave you to your imagination. Although, if I did name the child it would be something like Seto maybe? I liked Seto Kaiba and I'd like (if it happened) for their kid to have more of a younger Sasuke personality. I don't know...he could be badass like that.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for sticking around!


End file.
